A new group of students is settling in at The Kirinari High Support Needs Centre where they are embracing school and the skills it teaches. The centre, which is located within the grounds of Xavier College in Llandilo, provides an alternate platform for learning and inclusion.
The purpose-built facility is open to students from all over the Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta, who have a diagnosis of moderate intellectual disability and low adaptive functioning.
High Support Needs Specialist Teacher George Massih said activities like board games, discussions and drumbeat therapy have been used to introduce new students to their peers.
“Life skills are at the core of everything that is done at Kirinari with students cooking, planting vegetables, collecting bottles for our return and earn, and practical road safety lessons in the community,” he said.
“New students have also been taken on a tour of the college which included visiting the oval, basketball courts, canteen, Xavier centre and science labs.”
Fellow teacher Brooke Barwick said the students get plenty of learning opportunities incorporating technology.
“They are learning to do online grocery shopping where they get a budget, have to look up an item, write down the price, and work out from their budget if they can afford it,” she said.
“They also enjoy using technology like Google Classroom, to answer questions from their teachers.”
